Posts by Sophie Clearwater
Beyond the Cyclades Script: A Smarter Guide to Greece’s Ionian Islands
Paxos If Corfu is the grande dame of the Ionians, Paxos is the private members’ club—all 12 square miles of it. A house here is shorthand among a certain set for having found the island before the rest of the room caught on, and for preferring to keep the address vague. The appeal is mostly…
Read MoreAn Insider’s Guide to Santa Barbara, California’s American Riviera
California is abundant in charming coastal enclaves and idyllic towns, but few compare to the city of Santa Barbara. This picturesque community within SBC has it all: pristine beaches, a year-round Mediterranean climate, towering mountain peaks and distinct neighborhoods with their own personalities. In addition to being the physical bridge that connects SoCal and the…
Read MoreFrom Denzel Washington to Zendaya: 4 Types of Hollywood Star Power Today
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet represent a new generation of Hollywood star power. The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images Raw box office totals are too blunt a measure of an actor’s star power. Over the past 15 years, franchises and IP have increasingly done the heavy lifting, often overshadowing individual performers. An actor may also be…
Read MoreObserver’s 2026 July Art Fair Calendar
SECCI at Aspen Art Fair in 2024. Zach Hilty/BFA.com There’s no rest for the weary. In July, the art world’s collective Basel hangover lingers, but many galleries have to pack it all up all over again and make their way to one or more of the international or niche-y art fairs held in July, or…
Read MoreThe Best UGG Dupes on Amazon Prime Day Sale for Your Most Stylish, Comfy Summer Yet
Amazon Prime Day has brought so many insanely good markdowns, from skincare and makeup to haircare and more, and we just scouted the best cozy UGG alternatives that are all on major sale. We love UGG, but if they’re a bit out of your price range these dupes are just as cute, comfy, and easy…
Read More‘It’s Meaningless’: Trump Waives off Iran War Vote After Shouting Match With Republicans
“Democrats, they want to lose the war because they’re stupid,” Trump said Wednesday. “That’s why we call them Dum-ocrats, you know. I no longer use the E. I use—I’ve changed the E into a U. We call them Dum-ocrats. They’re dumb.” The Senate GOP lunch was intended to smooth tensions over the SAVE America Act,…
Read MoreWhat Summer Davos Reveals About the West’s China Blind Spot
As leaders gather in Dalian for Summer Davos, the bigger challenge may not be understanding China’s economy but understanding China itself. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images As global leaders gather in Dalian for Summer Davos, the official theme, “Innovating at Scale,” will naturally draw attention to artificial intelligence, energy transition, supply chains and the next…
Read MoreAs Summer Davos Debates Innovation, Purpose Is the Bigger Story
Trade upheaval, geopolitical shocks and A.I. are reshaping business, but organizations without a lived sense of purpose risk moving fast in the wrong direction. Jiang Qiming/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images In January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed Davos and said what many business leaders were already feeling but hadn’t yet named. “Let me…
Read MoreHannah Brown’s Favorite Summer Reads With Depth and Heart
Summer’s finally here, and it’s when I love reading the most, whether lying out by the pool or on the beach, or tucked in at night with the AC blasting. Summer days are longer, and I just want to relax and sink into a feel-good book with heart and depth—and maybe even have a little…
Read MoreMark Zuckerberg’s A.I. Glasses Push Gets a Kardashian Makeover
Zuckerberg shifts toward in-house branding and celebrity appeal to push smart glasses into mainstream fashion. Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images Building on the success of Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, Mark Zuckerberg is now on a quest to make A.I. wearables fashionable. Yesterday (June 23), Meta unveiled a new in-house line simply called Meta Glasses,…
Read MoreFor Stephen Lichty, Sculpture Makes Visible What Matter Remembers
Installation view: Stephen Lichty’s “Ghost Stone” at YveYANG Gallery. Courtesy YveYANG Gallery Among the more ambitious shows on the busy May art calendar in New York, “Ghost Stone,” by Kansas City-born, San Francisco-based artist Stephen Lichty, on view at YveYANG Gallery, particularly stood out. Lichty pursues a singular investigation into the sculptural medium, beginning with…
Read MorePublic-Sector A.I. Is Advancing Faster Than Public-Sector Data
Governments are investing heavily in A.I., but many still lack the connected data infrastructure needed to make those systems reliable and fair. Unsplash+ The U.K. government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, published in early 2025, committed to embedding A.I. across public services at speed. NHS England has accelerated its digital transformation agenda. Dozens of local…
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